Stag and Doe: The Journey
by DontKillMyVibe
Summary: When James' exult had died down, he seemed to notice that I had come into his room. Voluntarily. A sly grin overtook his face. "Well, Lily," he said, grinning from ear to ear, "looks like you DO care about me." R&R the roller coaster that is Lily Evans and James Potter's relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Stag and Doe: The Journey 

**Chapter 1**

**Lily's POV**

* * *

_I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then? -Neil Gaiman_

* * *

I pulled my head out of my book as familiar voices approached my corridor. Raising my eyes, I took in James Potter and Sirius Black walking around the corner of the hallway, talking in low voices.

I took in a breath as I mentally prepared myself for our quotidian banter.

He got closer. He must have sensed my presence by now, but unlike him, he didn't shoot a line at me. He kept his eyes fixed on Sirius. Ignoring me.

A year ago, I would have thanked the gods. Finally, Potter was leaving me be with my book! But as my dream played out in front of me, I realized that I didn't quite get the satisfaction I was hoping for.

That just wouldn't do. "Hey, Potter!" I shouted. "This is the first time I've seen your tongue _not_ shoved down a girl's throat! How does fresh air feel?"

He finally glanced fully my way, and his wide brown eyes locked with my green. At that moment I registered the hardness in his usually jovial features. Something drastic must have happened to affect James Potter.

He didn't change his expression and didn't look away from me as he and Sirius finished their walk down the passage. But before he again turned his attention towards his best friend, I noticed his countenance shift from contemplation to that of a hurt person.

Oh Merlin.

I had finally wounded James Potter.

_And I wasn't even ecstatic about it._

Why are fantasies so damn opposite to cold reality?

James has said plenty worse to me over our seven years here at Hogwarts. I had spent WEEKS in my dormitory crafting up a comeback perfect to parry all of his suggestive remarks. I had even practiced my delivery in my mirror (oh, don't pretend you don't do that as well).

I planned to avenge my humiliation over the years, and yet here I was, still equally as red in the face as when James had hung my pink knickers from a dripping candle in the Great Hall.

Curse my empathy. Curse whoever made him so mad that he couldn't appreciate my tongue. And finally, and most of all, _curse James Potter_.

* * *

At dinner that night, I casually noted that neither James nor Sirius was present. It's not like I was on the lookout; I just made a simple, sharp Head Girl observation. But I will admit that I glanced up more than once from my pumpkin juice at the oak doors to the Great Hall. For no particular reason whatsoever.

I was enveloped in a large embrace just as the dessert was charmed in from the kitchens. Remus Lupin, the Marauder I abhor least, released me and plopped down on the bench beside me, hungrily scooping some apple custard from the serving dishes and heaping it onto a plate.

"Whoa, slow down Loopy, it's not a race," Marcy Bracey said from across the table. Remus was polite enough to stifle his eye roll, which gave the impression of an awkward face twitch. I cracked a smile.

"You look like you haven't eaten in days," I said quietly, ruffling his shaggy hair and petting it down so it didn't stick up. It wasn't dirty, it just was messy. I'll bet he was taking lessons from James. Which reminded me.

"Hey Remus, what's bothering Potter? He looked pretty ticked when I spotted him in the corridor earlier today."

He paused from his sweet for a microsecond, scanning my features with an incredulous look on his face.

The silence made the tips of my ears turn bright red. It probably blended really appealingly with my firetruck hair. Oh how I wished I could also blend with the _floor_ at that moment! Lupin's staring attracted the attention of a couple other Gryffindors.

Finally, Marcy spoke up, her pert little nose turned slightly upward, as if she could sniff out a pending piece of juicy gossip. "Why do you care about Potter? I would have thought you'd be the first to blockade the Hall just so he couldn't strut through the doors."

"No reason," I mumbled hotly, looking down at my pastry. "I was just guessing why Lupin looks like he just escaped the Whomping Willow. Probably caught up in another one of Potter's stupid schemes to get into the girl's lavatory."

Lupin's face darkened. Why was everyone getting so wound up today about harmless jokes? Especially the Marauders! Did half a lifetime of hazing not mean that I couldn't retaliate once in a while?

An exasperated sigh elicited from my lips as I stood up harshly. "Well, I suppose I'm off to bed," I stated, and with a curt nod at Remus, I began to march down the aisle.

I felt a hand on my arm, and I found that Remus had spun me around, finally getting to his senses.

"What?" I snapped. Remus looked taken aback. "I'm sorry," I quickly softened my tone, "I guess I just don't understand why everyone is so bloody SERIOUS today! Why can't you just accept my pathetic attempts at humor? You know I don't mean anything by it!"

Remus stood up straighter. "I apologize too, Lily. It's just that I - _we_ - have been under a lot of stress lately. James especially. He -" Remus stopped himself.

I was intrigued. "He, WHAT, Remus?"

"I'm not sure if I'm the appropriate person to tell you."

I was about to push for more information, but speak of the devil and James and Sirius are guaranteed to walk around the corner. "REMUS," Sirius said, rushing to his side. "PLEASE tell me you stocked up on food for upstairs. I could eat a horse right now."

Remus awkwardly shifted his feet, and Sirius looked him up and down, registering his empty hands.

"Come _on_! Don't tell me we were too late for dinner! James needs food, and I finally convinced him to come down." I mustered up the courage to peek at James for the first time, and could only find a slight trace of confidence left on his usual brazen features. His tan skin was pale, and his eyes were still intense, but murkier.

Meanwhile, Sirius finally acknowledged that I was present. He dropped to his knees in front of me, ready to display his perfected ass-kissery. He grabbed my hands and gave me clear, brown puppy dog eyes.

"Lils! Sweet, sweet Lils, do you think you could possibly be a darling and sneak into the kitchen to rack up on leftovers?"

I rolled my eyes and shook his hands off me. "And what do you suggest I do when the house elves catch me and turn me into Filch?"

He deftly matched his tone to my sardonic one. "Well, obviously, you won't GET caught, because you'll hide all the treats safely by stuffing them into your - "

"I'd love to stick around and CHAT," I interjected, cutting him off and glaring at him, "but I really must be going. Go be melancholy somewhere else, you all. I'm beginning to think you're avoiding me on purpose or something."

I turned my back on them to head up to my room, but I felt pulled back just as I had spun my heel.

It was James.

He shifted his eyes when he spoke. "I want to talk to you."

I swallowed, and my heart beat just a tad faster. My heart rate always quickened around him, but that was normally a reflex to dodge a charm that he could send my way.

But no. This was different. And I could sense that no was not an option. I yielded and followed him down the hall, escaping the gaping eyes of the Marauders and stray students.

James led me down a corridor that I had never been before. This part of the castle was eerily quiet, and I was about to inquire where exactly he was taking me when he stopped in front of a broom closet.

Oh, Merlin, _no_! How could I have been so foolish?

I spun on him quickly and exploded. "SERIOUSLY POTTER? A _BROOM CLOSET_? I can't believe I thought you were actually going to tell me what was troubling you, when all you wanted was the opportunity to snog me! You know what - I should have expected nothing less! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me this time!" I made to run out.

"Lily, wait!" He shouted. I turned.

"What?" I said caustically.

"I don't want to snog you. Well, actually I do, but that's an entirely different matter that can be resolved sometime else. I just needed a private place to talk. I can't tell you everything; I just wanted to..."

He trailed off anticlimactically.

"What, Potter? You just wanted to what? Imperio me so I can strip for you or something? Save it."

"I just wanted to clarify that I'm not mad at you in any way."

Oh. Well. I stuttered to think of a response, but couldn't. I let him lead me into the room, which was a spacious closet with some dusty textbooks and old brooms lining the walls.

He spoke up. "I got the sense that you thought I was mad at you. Today. And so I decided to mollify your guilty conscience."

I snorted. "Guilty conscience? Really? Why would I EVER be stricken to ruin your day? It sounds more along the lines of absolutely glorious."

For a millisecond, James Potter's customary smirk appeared in the dimly-lit closet. "Who wants to see such a beautiful face like mine frown?"

I laughed sarcastically and sharply. "Did you drag me in here to gloat, Potter? Come on, spit out what's eating you already, so I can fix it and go back to making fun of you with no remorse!"

His eyes searched the floor. "It's probably nothing, really. Yesterday some Death Eaters pillaged the village near where I live. I was worried sick..you know, because my parents are Aurors, and they were the only ones assigned to the mission..."

I gasped, all traces of gaiety wiped away. "What happened? Are they all right?"

"Yeah, thank Merlin, I just got the owl from mum that she and dad made it back home with barely a scar. That's why we weren't down at dinner yesterday or today. I was waiting for the mail, and my friends were kind enough to put up with me awake all those hours."

"But they're safe now," he continued, running his fingers through his dark hair, "so that's why I lightened up a bit to come downstairs for a bite. But naturally, I'm still shaken up." He let out a contented sigh of relief.

"Oh," was all I could mumble out, still in wonder that James _actually felt natural human emotions_? I had no idea that he was so protective of his parents. I never got the sense at school.

The air seemed lighter after it was established that everyone was safe.

It was silent before I finally spoke up. "I believe that this is the longest conversation we've had without you asking me to Hogsmeade."

James let out a huge laugh, and threw his arm over me, leading me out of the closet. "So what do you say, Evans? You, me, and every flavor of bean that Bernie Bott can think of?"

I sighed. What in Nicholas Flammel's name was I thinking when I said I missed our quips? I pried off his arm. "In your sweetest dreams, Potter."

"Well then I'll sleep well tonight, Evans." He walked away towards the dormitories, leaving me in stunned silence at the entrance of the closet.

* * *

The next day James was back to his old self (as in, being a complete pain in the arse). I couldn't help but notice how easily he could blow that sensitive side away and resume his troublemaking, all in 24 hours' time.

During Divination, he conveniently forgot his Unfogging The Future textbook and used that opportunity to share mine. To prevent my eyes from falling asleep from the teacher's droning words, I occupied myself with watching Potter be a complete idiot and fool around with his wand. He was concentrating unnaturally hard on a small scrap of parchment. When my curiosity got the better of me and I leaned over, he caught my eye and grinned at my attention. I quickly turned back to my book, ashamed that I gave him that satisfaction.

On the left side of the page, a miniature animal made of James' parchment trotted into my line of vision. Inspecting it a bit closer, I saw that it was indeed a doe that James had folded for me.

"_LILY._" I heard a voice from the front of the room, and my amber hair whipped up as I snapped my head towards the board.

"Yes, Professor?" I said, hurriedly trying to hide the paper forest animal from view.

"Perhaps you can tell us what lies in your crystal ball?" Professor Trebble said, a bit impatiently, as if this was not the first time she had asked me this.

"Oh, yes," I mumbled, embarrassed. My hair shielded James from view so I could concentrate on my clear ball. I literally saw not a single thing.

"Er, I see...a dark gray...hand." I stumbled out lamely, and Professor Trebble clutched her heart.

"Oh _dear_," she said dramatically, and the entire class tinkled with snickers, although of course she was oblivious to it. "You need assistance in your life. And something or someone will come and fill that void soon, don't you worry, dear. Don't you worry."

James watched me trying in vain to act mature and nod believably in front of Trebble's preposterous predictions. I had my mouth squeezed into a tight line, which was apparently comical to him. I flicked the charmed doe into his face.

* * *

The next morning before breakfast, I sat down in my dormitory to scrawl my mum and dad a reply to their frequent letters. I wrote the usual, ubiquitous nonsense; how well school was going, how much I had admired the (horrid) dress robes that Dad had picked out himself, and how much I terribly missed my sister Petunia.

My letter in hand, I strolled down the castle's marble stairs, amusing myself with the thoughts of heaping portions of bacon, eggs, and blueberries. Walking into the Great Hall, it was full and owls were even beginning to arrive with that day's mail and paper.

My graceful owl Athena arrived, and I stuck the parcel in her cream beak. After I had sent her off to my address, I sorted through the items that she dropped off with me.

A message from Petunia, demanding where I had hid her conditioner before I left for Hogwarts. I could practically read the anger emanating off the pages, and discarded it quickly. The last thing that I received was a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet.

Normally, I would just give my copy to Severus to read, because I had never fully gotten around to understanding Wizarding gossip and stories. I had no interest in Quidditch updates or anything like that, and Sev couldn't afford a subscription, so usually I just passed mine down to the Slytherin table. I could see Severus from where I was sitting, staring blankly in the direction of the paper in my hands. Ugh, the jerk obviously thought I would still give it to him out of habit, even though I was FURIOUS with him at the moment.

To spite him, I opened it ostentatiously to peruse it myself. I am not a vengeful person, but I haven't quite found it in my heart yet to forgive Severus about what he uttered a few months ago. About my...kind.

But looking directly at the random page I had opened, my jaw opened and I took a sharp gasp.

_Thomas Riddle, a rising dark magic practicer, and a group of followers stormed the town of Brokedale last night. The gang smashed house windows and carried a rampage across the city. The Ministry of Magic sent their last two uninjured and active Aurors, Jacqueline and Kenneth Potter, to defer the fleet, but have not heard from them since. Ministry employees are gathering supplies to - _

I stopped right there and scanned the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, a certain boy was not present, and four empty bench seats lay un-warmed a few meters down from me.

Marcy, again sitting across from me, asked, "If you're just going to sit there with the paper in your hands, can I read it? I heard Darlene Skeeter has a new article out today on how to decorate your dormitory."

I distractedly shoved the paper over at her and got up from the table.

"Earth to Lily!" She called as she waved her painted nails in front of me. "What's eating you? Is it James?"

At his name, I looked at her. She grinned a smile that resembled the Cheshire Cat's. "Ooooh, I see," she cooed obnoxiously. "I knew Joanne was telling the truth. She said she spotted you and Potter coming out of the broom closet two days ago." She wiggled her eyebrows.

I narrowed my eyes. "That's absurd," I said, "you should know I'm the last person to grace Potter with my presence. And you trust _Joanne_ for information? Marcy, even if she were in a burning building, she'd lie about her whereabouts."

Marcy scoffed, but looked convinced nonetheless. "Then why have you hardly touched your breakfast? And where exactly are you going right now?"

I shifted my eyes. "I'll be in my dormitory..er..testing out Darlene Skeeter's decorating techniques of course." I raced out of there before she could asked any follow up questions.

I hopped up the stairs and practically shouted the password at the Fat Lady. After I was inside the common room, I paused at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the boys' room.

I decided that I could go up them. All the students and teachers were still at breakfast, so who was going to get me in trouble?

I knocked on the Marauders' room - don't ask me how they weaseled their way into a shared room - and opened it before hearing a 'Come In'.

Immediately, a startled Peter Pettigrew pulled up his pants over his boxers.

I shielded my eyes. "I was changing!" Peter squeaked, obviously horrified.

I'm sure I was more scarred than he was. I could feel the heat in my cheeks but I still searched the room, when my eyes landed on the last three.

James was staring out the window next to his owl's empty cage. His eyes were glassy and looking longingly out onto Hogwarts' grounds. He was clearly waiting for a letter. Sirius was at his side, his body slumped and his legs straddling a chair backwards. Remus was sitting cross-legged on the bed, fiercely pouring over several newspaper. The tension was severe, and my arrival seemed to exacerbate it.

Potter looked in my direction and straightened up at the window quickly. "Lily!" He said, shocked that I was standing there. "What are you doing here?"

In the rush I felt after I realized that his parents were in danger, I went to go find him, as a reflex. Now, standing in specifically the boys' room, with a quivering Peter and a forlorn Sirius, I began to wonder myself: what _was_ I doing here?

"I...heard about your parents," I said, "in the paper. I was just..here to say I hope they're okay."

I was looked at like I had tubers for ears. Finally, James stumbled out, "Thanks. I hope so too."

Peter looked up. "Is breakfast still being served?"

I nodded slowly, and Sirius got up from his chair. "James, I'm telling you this because I love you, man. You need to eat something. We'll go downstairs and pick up something for you, and you can wait for a message."

James nodded faintly, and Sirius nudged Remus and motioned Peter with his hand to follow him down to the Great Hall. That left James and I alone in his room. Something I never thought I would ever say.

"So," said James, as he traced his finger around the windowsill, "what's with the sudden concern about the safety of my family?"

I shrugged. "I'm not speaking to you as some petty rivalry. I'm speaking to you as a person. Everyone's talking about what that Riddle guy is capable of, and I heard that your parents are the only hope we've got nowadays. It must be hard for you."

He panned dryly. "Funny how that 'only hope' thing works. If my folks die, all the Ministry has to do is train more Aurors. And no one truly loses but me."

I bunched my mouth to one side. "That's not true. Everyone adores your parents. They'd keep them safe." But even I wasn't positive. I walked over to the window to take in the morning. Ironically, it was a gorgeous day. But once one passed the pane of this particular window, the poles reversed and a wave of sadness washes over.

We waited until James looked at the clock on his wall. "My owl always comes at eight thirty. On the dot." I followed his gaze, and saw the minute hand tick past the forty-five.

Abruptly, I spotted a dot in the distance directly in the line of the window. "James! I said, shaking him. "What's that?"

James tilted his head, and slowly perked up. "That's him!" He said. He slipped on his distinctive glasses and lifted the glass. "And he has something in his talons!"

Half a minute later, a tan barn owl perched onto the window. James tore the letter from its legs and devoured the letter with his eyes.

I didn't have to look at the letter to see that it was from his parents and they were okay. James, forgetting that he and I were not close, picked me up and spun me around in his arms.

"They're safe!" He shouted, and thrust the letter into my face, like an excited little puppy.

I giggled at his expression as I read the letter. It was dusty, but it clearly stated that both of his parents had reached a protected stronghold.

James' hands clutched at his hair, and pulled at it as he uttered shouts of joy and disbelief. The entire air of the room had altered, and it was starting to reflect the clear day outside.

When James' exult had died down, he seemed to notice that I had come into his room. Voluntarily. A sly grin overtook his face. "Well, Lily," he said, grinning from ear to ear, "looks like you DO care about me."

"Oh, please. Your parents, maybe, but you? Pah." I sat on his bed indignantly.

Nothing would wipe his beam. "Not even a taaaaad?"

I rolled my eyes, but he pulled me closer. Before I could tell what was happening, he pulled me into a deep kiss.

I was startled at first at the offhand gesture, but hormones took over and I closed my eyes. He hugged me tightly, the letter from his parents now pressed between the two of us. I grabbed his hair subconsciously, and was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was to tug at it. He leaned me farther back, so that we were nearly lying down on his covers.

James pulled back slightly to wordlessly ask if he could continue, and it became clear to me that kissing me had been an impulse not in his control. But I didn't mind. I inclined my head farther to close the gap between us, forgetting momentarily that this was the boy who stole Mad Eye Moody's fake eye and threatened to place it in the girl's shower.

James moved and kissed my cheek. "You have no idea how long I've thought about doing that," he whispered.

So considering the circumstances, you could understand how my guard had been let down, and I was NOT monitoring the door. Or who walked in.

So when Sirius waltzed in at that precise moment, hands full of breakfast items, you could say that he dropped every single one of them on the floor in shock.

I would have too.

* * *

**A/N: So that was Chapter 1! Wow, I've discovered how fun it is to write Harry Potter! What did you think? Please leave a review!**

**X, **

**DKMV**


	2. Chapter 2

Stag and Doe: The Journey 

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. –Lemony Snicket

* * *

I hastily pushed James' body to the side and rose up from the bed, smoothing out my robes and tugging at my uniform skirt, which had ridden too high for my liking.

Sirius still stood at the door in utter bewilderment, his mind digesting the scene in front of him. James had crinkles of satisfaction playing around his eyes, but overall looked vaguely annoyed to be caught in such an intimate moment.

I, on the other hand of the spectrum, completely lost any shred of dignity I might have had left after letting James Potter kiss me. Traces of amusement fell over Sirius' countenance as I faltered gracelessly for an explanation of why James was just leaning me onto his mattress.

Finally, Sirius spoke up cheekily. "Oh, where are my manners? Is this a bad time for you two?"

"No," I said, glowing under the eye contact thrust upon me. "I – I was just leaving. Glad your parents are…er, good, James."

Mumbling some goodbyes, I exited the boys' dormitories and clomped down the stairs, but not before the door slammed behind me and I heard Sirius shout exuberantly, "Damn, mate! If you get action like that every time you skip breakfast, I'm never eating another meal again!"

* * *

Back in my dormitory that night before I went to sleep, I could still sense my pulse at every curve of my body that James had touched, circulating mercilessly as I tried to understand what just happened back there.

James had kissed me. And I hadn't drawn my wand threatening to hex him into oblivion. I hadn't pulled back or anything either, in fact, I had reciprocated his advances. It was quite pleasant, actually, if I ignored the person who's mouth I was dancing on.

I stopped, shocked that I would ever indulge in how great that kiss felt. The thought made me even angrier. I should feel _repulsed_ by that kiss! The nerve of him to think I would just let him do whatever he wanted with me! But, my ego deflating, I conceded silently to myself that his lips he had rendered my defenses immobile. He would have backed off if I had asked him to.

In Divination today, I couldn't even look him in the face. Call the Sorting Hat back in or something, because there was no way that I could possibly be considered a Gryffindor. I was pathetically obsessed with thinking about James. The NERVE of him – distracting me from my work, and trying to make eye contact with me all class! I was so busy concentrating on letting him know I was ignoring him that I didn't absorb a single word of Professor Trebble's preposterous prophecies.

At least it's not as though I missed anything of substance, I thought indignantly. I prodded my pillow and flung my head back onto it, trying to clear my mind.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, a timid second-year, who introduced himself as a messenger appointed by Dumbledore, informed me that the Headmaster had set up an impromptu Head Students meeting in his office right after we finished our meals. Happy to get out of the Great Hall and the stares that four specific Marauders were sending me, I got up from my bench quickly when I realized that James, too, was in fact a Head Student. A sigh escaped my mouth. I was going to have to bite the bullet and attend the meeting with him.

I walked out of the Hall, and heard footsteps heading Dumbledore's way as well. I took my best guess and assumed that it was the LAST person I'd like to talk to at the moment. I quickened my pace, but James was faster than I and caught up with me.

"Lily," he said, and I tilted my face slightly so that my red hair formed a curtain around my face.

James touched my chin and gently guided it so I was forced to look at him.

Yes?" I asked with wide eyes, playing the innocent card. Hopefully, he wouldn't mention yesterday's events and we could both forget they happened. There was no way that we were ever going to end up together. And oh, how the rumors had already started. I strongly suspected that a certain Marcy Bracey had lit the fuse to the unmentionable proceedings that Potter and I apparently committed in that broom closet.

"Why are you avoiding me? More than usual, for that matter." He cracked a grin.

"I'm just trying to collect my thoughts, I guess. A lot has happened in the last few hours."

"I'll say. Are you hearing what half the school is whispering about us?"

I cringed.

Potter noticed that that did not make circumstances any better for us. "Hey, I guess I want to apologize for yesterday. I was so happy that my parents were safe - I...guess I took advantage of my situation. Sorry."

"Yeah," I said, suddenly feeling confrontational to the gossip his mouth had caused me. "How many people are you telling about your little stunt, anyway?"

"I didn't tell anyone!" He insisted, raising his arms defensively. "Well, besides Sirius and the gang - but the idiots were witnesses, so what could I do?"

"You better not tell anyone," I said cuttingly, "or I will let every single girl in our year know that you kiss like a fish."

James laughed loudly, too arrogant to take my comment seriously. Both he and I knew that it was false.

He leaned in slyly, as if he was confiding in me a secret that no one else was meant to hear. "That's not what you sounded like yesterday," he whispered.

I shoved his arm, but I could feel the telling sign of pink color rushing to my face.

We arrived at the office's entrance, and after sounding absurd reciting the password of Fudge Flies, we climbed up the ornate staircase to the Headmaster's office.

I had always loved entering his chambers. The scent of thousands of old books enticing me to scour them mixed temptingly with peppermint sweets always on his desk. A cozy, modest velvet couch was set in the corner, and thousands of trinkets were resting, suspended, or flying about the expansive room. There was no other way to put it other than Dumbledore's office felt like a second home.

"Ah, Lily and James," came a deep, wise voice above us. Looking up, I smiled at the Headmaster as he descended a rich, brown mahogany staircase.

"Are we early, Headmaster?" I asked worriedly, because it just dawned on me that James and I were the only Head students in the room at the moment.

"No, no," he soothed, walking over to his pet Fawkes, petting him lightly with the back of his index finger. "In fact, I must confess that I wasn't fully honest with the message that I sent out earlier today. You were the only two I summoned."

Oh? I glanced suspiciously at James, wondering what he could have done to single us out, but he looked as baffled as I was.

Dumbledore pressed on. "You aren't in trouble, Miss Evans."

The relief on my face must have been evident.

The old sorcerer straightened his back. "You two are so, very talented." His eyes crinkled into twinkling moons as he looked at us as, say, a parent would look at his child.

"Which is why," he continued, "I brought you here to enlist your help."

Help? Although pleased with the compliment, I couldn't help inwardly groaning as I wondered how much work this 'help' would entail. I have nothing against assisting Dumbledore, but the exhausting job of being a Seventh Year Head Girl had already tested my energy capacity.

"I am part of an organization," he said thoughtfully, staring intensely into our eyes, as if uncovering our very thoughts, "that is dedicated to defending what is still pure in this world. That society - known as - The Order of the Phoenix." He glanced back at Fawkes.

_So the rumors were true._ Suddenly, my previous qualms about extra duties around Hogwarts were eradicated. This wasn't some silly school opportunity. _This was real_. My Headmaster is asking me to join his agency to murder Death Eaters. And I haven't even completed my NEWTS yet.

The color drained from my face as I sunk into the velvet cushions. A few minutes ago, they had seemed so welcoming, but now, all I saw was the scarlet pigment of blood. I glanced up at James to see how he was taking it.

He was intrigued. He stood attentively, the sheer honor sweeping through his features as he gazed at Dumbledore with a newfound admiration.

"I must warn you, the work is perilous and the hours are terribly inconvenient. Of course," Dumbledore continued, sensing my distress, "you cannot volunteer until you complete your mandatory school requirements before you can assume the ranks of our society. Training begins shortly after graduation, and your involvement is completely up to you.

"I suspect you two will need to get to Potions right about now. And I trust that this meeting will be kept strictly confidential?" He was polite enough to make it a question, but it was clear that it was an inarguable statement.

I wordlessly nodded my head and stumbled from the room. I didn't even remember trudging to Potions.

* * *

Since James and I were the last ones to be seated in the classroom, we were paired for a Potions assignment. I immediately stifled a groan, because he was probably the most difficult student to work with. And I really did not want to discuss the events that just happened in Dumbledore's office.

Nevertheless, James plopped down on the stool next to me and heaved his heavy Potions book onto my desk. I jumped as it made contact, and he grinned and shook his head.

"I don't know about you, Evans, but I don't like getting anything short of Outstanding on my Potions projects. You look like you're about to fall asleep. Don't tell me I'm the one that's going to do ALL the work."

I scoffed. "Oh, please Potter, as if it isn't going to be the other way around."

He clucked his tongue as he went to go gather the necessary ingredients for the potion. I waited, tapping my foot against my stool. I was anxious to get back to my dormitory and think.

He got back and set everything up next to our cauldron.

"All right, let's get this started," he said, and his hand raised, poised to pour some Wolfsbane into the black pot.

I grabbed his arm, pulling it back abruptly. In a faux display of sugary sweetness like I was speaking to a three-year-old, I said slowly, "Don't you think we should wash out the cauldron first so the potion isn't contaminated?"

The corner of James' mouth twitched in entertainment. He was the only person whose tone could precisely match my sardonic one. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Lilypad. I scrubbed it clean yesterday."

Throughout the first day of the project, unlike my other partners who sat by dumbly while I did all the work, James actually questioned what I saw fit. And although it was hard to admit, I suppose some of his suggestions weren't AS feebleminded as I gave him credit for. We were making great progress.

Right before the transition to the next class, the Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall, walked briskly into the class. She had color in her cheeks and she looked a tad out of breath.

"May I borrow Potter for a moment please?" She said indifferently to our teacher. She had one of those faces that was impossible to read and you did not want to cross.

"Oh, yes. Potter, go ahead," Professor Leary said from the front of the room.

James followed McGonagall skeptically from the room. I could see his face scrunched up, searching his brain for an antic he committed that caused him to be pulled out of class. As the two figures disappeared out the door, I saw a corner of the Daily Prophet tucked firmly under McGonagall's arm.

I swiftly turned to my tote and fished in it for my copy of the paper. Finding it crumpled at the bottom, I tugged on it and flattened it out on my lap so that Leary wouldn't see. It didn't take long to pinpoint the article I was seeking.

Oh bloody, twisted hell.

_James' parents were dead._

The shock resonated with me, as more consequences streamed into my mind. I had never even met the Potters, and still I felt a crushing blow - I could only imagine how James felt. I scanned the page.

_Last night, around 7 pm, a pack of Death Eaters swarmed the village of Crosslane, on the outskirts of the north side of the Forbidden Forest. The Ministry deployed combatants all across the town boundary lines, so that no belligerents would get any closer to Diagon Alley, a heavily populated area. After two hours of battle and negotiation, the Ministry managed to arrest seven out of the eight aggressors. The final of the pack, Omar Crowe, escaped and started what onlookers described as 'shooting hexes randomly and fiercely, with his intentions nothing short of demolition'. At the end of his riot, Jacqueline and Kenneth Potter, two dedicated Aurors for twenty-five and twenty-eight years, respectively, had been murdered. Funeral services will be held this Tuesday, March 27, in the highest respect the wizarding community can offer for two wizards that risked their life for the protection of others. _

The doors opened once more, and I snapped to attention as James stepped back in. Behind his glasses, his face was blank, wiped clean of any emotion. He stared at nothing in particular as he walked up the aisle and sat back down. His mouth was pressed into a tight line, as though as he was straining to prevent himself from crying out.

He attempted to hide his hands in his robe, but I saw that his fist was bloodstained. He caught me staring subtly at it, and spoke for the first time.

In a flat, throaty voice, he muttered, "I accidentally punched the wall."

I opened my mouth to respond but shut it quickly, as nothing suitable to say came to my brain. I had no idea if he wanted to acknowledge it or not.

I didn't have to think it over for long. Potions class ended, as did our school day, and he could not have been quicker packing up his books and dashing out of the classroom.

I impulsively went after him. I couldn't help myself; how was I supposed to know whether he wouldn't do something stupid? I chased him outside the castle and found him on a grass-surrounded bench facing the lake, his head bowed down and his hands in his hair.

I silently sat down, not knowing how to comfort someone at a time like this. My problems suddenly felt so _trivial_ compared to the pain that the boy in front of me was going through. Because that's basically what he was. A seventeen-year-old boy, now orphaned in the world.

I timidly placed my hand on his back. He registered that a presence was next to him, and peeked up at who had decided to join him. He saw that it was me, and turned back into his palms.

"It's strange," he said after a while. "Death, I mean. We all know that it's going to happen to every single one of us...and yet it's still a horrific surprise when it happens to someone you know."

My heart broke and my hand involuntarily froze on his back. Finally, all I could choke out was, "Your parents were _so_ brave." I pulled out the Daily Prophet article, leaving out the part where his parents were killed but reading him the sections where it described how many lives his parents saved.

At the end, he pulled his face out of his hands. He wore a look of pride on his face through all the grief. "Thanks, Lily," he said.

For the first time in my life, I genuinely smiled back at James Potter. He began reminiscing about what great lives his parents lived, slowly picking up the pieces of his life that had just been shattered moments ago. I fixed his broken hand with my wand. We stayed on the bench for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

The next week, all Seventh Years were allowed to travel to Hogsmeade by themselves, a liberty the school allowed to pacify the stress of imminent NEWTS hanging over our heads.

James had taken the week to carefully heal, barely showing his face besides in class, although there were still obvious scars that would take a greater amount of time. Professor McGonagall had ordered him to stay at Hogwarts, because Omar Crowe was well aware of the Potter name and James' safety was threatened as long as Crowe was still at large.

Although I had been included in the Wizarding World for seven years, Honeydukes was still as fascinating as when I stepped in at age eleven. There were so many colors that when one first enters, her eye is overwhelmed with the vibrancy of it all and doesn't know where to begin exploring.

I was browsing through some mouth-watering Sugar Quills when I felt something on my shoulder. Turning around, I only saw the other end of the aisle, completely empty of any people. Strange. I dismissed the touch and began picking flavors when the same contact brushed a lock of hair out of my face. Whipping back this time, I still couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, James Potter's head appeared out of thin air, a crafty smirk playing about his face.

"What!" I said in disbelief, "how did you manage to sneak out!" I asked this, but I was more interested in why _his head was still the only thing I could see_. Tentatively, I reached out into the space below his head. Huh. I could FEEL his body. I just couldn't see it.

James removed whatever was shielding him, and I gasped and pulled back when I discovered that my hand was dangerously close to his...erm...family jewels.

"Sorry!" I said frightfully, but James just gave me a roguish half smile and presented me with what made him undetectable.

As I felt the fabric, James told me, "It's my Invisibility Cloak. It's been in my family for centuries. It's how I can get away from Filch and Peeves leaving no evidence that I was there."

"I've always WONDERED how you never got caught! Since I knew it obviously couldn't be talent alone," I added boldly.

"Hey! But the times I _have_ charmed my way out of it, you _must_ give me credit for that."

"I suppose. I can't stand how Madame Pomprey's ovaries practically explode when you pass her in the halls."

"A little jealous, are we?"

"More like inclined to barf, I'd say."

A teacher walked into Honeydukes at that moment. Immediately, I thrust the invisibility cloak in my hands over James and we raced out of the shop.

Outside, James asked if I wanted to get a Butterbeer. Normally, I would have turned him down before he could get the last word out, but this time I accepted. Only because I was really thirsty.

"Lily, I need to tell you something."

I swiveled my chair to face him, the Butterbeer's warmth spreading over me. I beckoned him to tell.

His finger traced the edge of his mug. "Since my parents passed, I've been thinking a lot, and decided that I'm not doing enough."

"That's ridiculous, James. Your parents must have been immensely proud of how much work you've accomplished."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I sense that the entire Wizard World is on the brink of something huge. Something destructive and horrific in fact, nothing positive."

I nodded. "The Death Eaters are gaining a lot of support in the poor Pureblood communities who think that the Ministry owes them for simply existing."

"Yes. Exactly! And as long as Omar Crowe...is still on the run, I feel I have a duty to protect everyone whose lives are in danger.

"Which is why..." He took a deep breath.

"I enlisted in the Order of the Phoenix."

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, lovelies! What did you think of Chapter 2? Reviews never fail to make my day! **

**X, **

**DKMV**


	3. Chapter 3

Stag and Doe: The Journey

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected from which one has refused to prepare. -Mary Renault_

* * *

My features froze on my face. My smile that I had worn just moments ago now resembled a humorless grin; I didn't even have the energy to contort my cheek muscles into a frown.

I don't remember dropping my butterbeer, but I vaguely recall feeling shards from my glass mug pierce my calf. My gaze, which had been fixed upon James that entire time, shifted down at my leg and I took in the beads of blood appearing along the scratches. I suddenly felt impossibly hot in the stuffy room.

I slid off the cushy stool and forced my ankles to function. Anything to get my heart pumping again, I thought, because I felt weak as the momentum of his statement crushed me. Not knowing where I was headed, I raced out of The Three Broomsticks.

It was raining outside, and I whirled my head around blindly, my hair becoming frizzier by the second. _I should have seen this coming._ How could James resist the temptation, especially after his heightened sense of vengeance following his parents' deaths? I couldn't blame him for wanting to volunteer - but just because he had a reason for it, doesn't mean he should! Death was almost certainly guaranteed. He's still only seventeen.

I ducked into the Hog's Head and ran straight for the wooden drinking barrel holding Firewhisky. Without pausing to remind myself of my Head Girl status, I poured myself a heaping glass and downed it in one fast gulp. The liquid burned as it slid down my throat. I found that I didn't care.

The Firewhisky didn't flow straight to my stomach as I'd hoped. In my eagerness to drink away the shock, it had run down my windpipe. This started a coughing fit as I gasped for air. With all my focus on breathing, I lost control over my eyes, and tears started freely streaming.

I could only imagine what other patrons thought of me. _Look at that crying, choking little schoolgirl. She probably couldn't handle her first Firewhisky. Pathetic._

The door chose that moment to open wide, and James raced in, looking around wildly. When he spotted me in the corner, he darted for me and pulled a chair behind me, right as I collapsed onto it.

"What the _hell_?" He said as studied my red face and empty Firewhisky goblet.

I glanced up at him. His hair was more disheveled than usual, and he was thoroughly soaked with rainwater. His glasses had droplets on them, and he wore a baffled expression. Quite frankly, I couldn't understand my actions either.

"Why are you not okay with me joining the Order?" He said, spinning a chair around and sitting across from me.

My mind unwillingly flashed to the hundreds of gruesome images I had seen over the past few weeks: I thought of thousand-year-old buildings being blown to ash, of ace Order wizards tortured beyond recognition, and most intensely of all, I pictured dead, bloated bodies strewn across the cobblestone streets.

"I wouldn't wish that life upon _anyone_," I mumbled.

James looked at me, bewildered. "Well someone has to do it! Who do you think keeps Hogwarts students safe?"

"You're a Hogwarts student _yourself_, and you have no idea what Tom Riddle is capable of!"

Exasperation crossed his face. "Nobody does, Lily, and that's why he needs to be stopped before every corrupt person around joins him!"

"You haven't even completed your schooling," I said. "You're going to face your first Death Eater, and it won't matter who's faster or smarter; he's going to know more dark techniques, and you'll be blasted to pieces!"

"I'm the top of the class," James said. "Second only MAYBE to you. I can handle myself out there."

I was hopelessly running out of coherent things to say as the hazy effect of the whisky befuddled my brain.

"What about Remus?" I demanded, "He would have never let you join."

He opened his mouth but I continued, "And what about SIRIUS. How the hell did he react, because I'm 100 percent sure that it wasn't positive feedback."

James blushed and shifted his feet, disappointed at the fault in his argument. "I haven't exactly informed them yet."

I paused. "What about me?"

James flinched. He hadn't expected me to say that. He wrinkled his brow, my mixed signals clearly perplexing him.

"I didn't know I was hurting you this much." He began despondently, rubbing the back of his neck. I thought you'd be ecstatic that I'm out of your hair, much less defending the Wizarding World."

I collected myself and straightened my back the slightest bit, slowly gaining back the confidence in my opinion.

"Brave doesn't equal stupid! You're not ready."

"I'll be protecting you."

I pushed his chest. "Get it through your thick skull, James! I. don't. NEED your protection. I have trained aurors to do that. YOUR job is to complete Hogwarts, and then you can do whatever you bloody want!"

"I'm still finishing my seventh year. I'll just be available in case the ministry needs any reinforcement."

"When do you start training?"

"The day after next."

My eyes widened, and James looked like he immediately regretted telling me.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, James, could you have possibly made it any sooner?"

Maybe it was the frightening prospect that James wasn't returning to Hogwarts. Or maybe it was the Firewhisky. But I grabbed him roughly by his coat collar and crashed his lips to mine.

James was stunned at first that I had initiated, but he soon snapped out of it and put his hand on my back, drawing me closer, his sense of urgency growing.

I smiled into his mouth as I leaned into him, practically in his lap. James didn't seem to care that he was perfectly vulnerable to any teacher walking into the bar at that moment (technically he was still banned from visiting Hogsmeade), and I sure didn't care about the glances other diners were shooting us. His tongue snaked around mine.

We were prematurely forced apart, breathing heavily, by a loud crash outside. The first few moments were disorienting; I had no idea what was occurring and why the blood had rushed out of everyone's cheeks. I could hear the yells of the Hogs Head manager, his voice reaching his employees to barricade the entrance.

Bar the entrance? I registered that that meant danger the exact moment that James did, and he jerked me away from the side of the store that was closest to the uproar.

Just as I reached the opposite edge, the wall I was just near exploded. My heart rate accelerated as chunks of rock blew in every direction. James, with glasses missing from his face, no doubt lost in the debris, yanked my hand out of the bar and away from the crash site.

The first thing that I laid my eyes on were a dozen darkly-hooded figures outside the pub. _Death Eaters. _

They were oriented in a tight-knit circle, each of them facing outward, forming a ring of assassins. Green hexes were shooting around, ending in clouds of dust as they struck a building, or worse, an anguished human being.

The rain was still streaming, and the air was heavy with hissing sounds as it extinguished the small fires that the dark wizards produced.

Even though the wizards were arranged in a perfect circle, it was easy to distinguish who the leader was. The commander of the troop was the first to break the shape, and started tramping down the pathway, scouring for unarmed victims.

The dust that arose from all angles obstructed his view from civilians, and he ripped off his hood to gain a better view. I gasped a sharp breath of air as I looked at his hollow face in the flesh for the first time. It was Omar Crowe.

A low growl came from deep inside James' throat as he recognized who had infiltrated Hogsmeade. Instinctually, he jumped up from his crouched position behind the corner of a building and started for the dark wizard. I lunged at his robes, futilely trying to pull him back to safety, but he just shrugged his outer layer off when I wouldn't let go.

So I ran out after him. Like a fool, throwing myself into the line of fire, I followed James Potter into a death trap.

Crowe caught our two figures through the dust. Nobody had bothered to challenge his power, so people coming towards him and his men were glaringly perceptible.

He held up a large hand, holding his men's spells, as he waited until he was able single out the wizard who was gutsy enough to cross him.

The dust eventually cleared with the eery cease-fire, and Omar was able to identify James Potter. His eyes narrowed, and he cast his left hand behind his back, stretching his wand hand out towards James' heart. On the arm he had tried to conceal lay a crusty wound, no doubt caused by the Potters.

The quiet air was pieced by Crowe's Unforgivable screech. But no, it wasn't directed at James. It was directed towards me.

In a determined voice, I could hear James shout 'Protego!' as a translucent screen shielded me from the green spell advancing. Malevolent light hit the screen in front of me and erupted in all directions, but it was diffused. My hair flew back behind my shoulders. At that moment, I realized Crowe's true intentions. He aimed to damage the Potter boy in the worst way possible - not by torturing him but by torturing those he cared about.

It was an advanced evil beyond a moral being's comprehension. I looked at James, and he seemed to have transformed before me. Instead of mischief, his eyes were brimming with hatred as he directed his wand at Crowe.

In a flash, he started slashing his wand rapidly, muttering spell after spell, and trying out different angles and areas to throw off his enemy. Omar took a slight step back as he now acted on the defensive, clearly shocked at the outburst of spells coming from a schoolboy. His half grin was wiped from his face.

James' resentment was growing. With each hex that Crowe deflected, he became more and more frustrated.

I raised my wand to disarm Crowe while he was focused on James, but his followers noticed and advanced towards me. I was pulled into the intensity of the battle, except this was surely not balanced. It was twelve trained killers with no regard for who or what they destroyed versus two seventeen-year-olds who had yet to graduate.

I didn't have time to shoot many spells, as my hands were full deflecting the barrage of dark magic aimed at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James rapidly gaining the upper hand against Omar. He slashed Crowe's only unscathed arm and was pushing him into a corner of the street. I noticed a couple other adult wizards who had joined our side, and now all we could do is fight off spells until Ministry representatives showed up.

James knocked Crowe's wand from his hand and into his own. With one swift motion, he snapped it on his thigh and threw the pieces in opposite directions. Crowe sunk into the corner, looking humiliated and at the mercy of James.

James raised his wand, and was about to shout something he would soon regret when Aurors of the Ministry apparated in all directions. A man forced me out of the way of the Death Eaters and shot powerful bolts of light towards the group, successfully apprehending them.

One Auror grabbed James' wand hand before he shot something and banded Crowe's arms behind his back. Once the Aurors had gathered all of Tom Riddle's followers, they gave curt nods to James and me. They disappeared into thin air, no doubt heading towards Azkaban.

The dark murkiness in James' eyes broke and his warm brown ones flooded back as he collapsed onto his knees in the middle of the street. I rushed over to him, and he bowed his head, ashamed of himself. He muttered to me, in between deep, labored breaths of air,

"Lily...oh god...I was gonna kill him..."

I took his face in my hands. "No you weren't! You were just in shock and you needed to disarm him before he got to anyone else. You're not at fault; James, you _know_ it's not your fault."

"Did you see me out there?" He said, shaking his head in disbelief, "I was actually going to murder someone..."

I swallowed. This wasn't just a skirmish between a few evil men and the Ministry. The rampage of Hogsmeade, a central Wizarding town, was an act of war. I suddenly realized what I had to do. And more surprisingly, I was fully ready for it.

"Where do I sign up to slay some Death Eaters?"

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaand it's that time of year again. Soon, I'm going back to school *shudder* and waiting in vain for so many lovely authors to keep up their stories! Because it's true - unfortunately, school leaves barely any time to be creative. Squeeze what you can out of the rest of your summer, you guys; freedom is fleeting. I'll try my very best to keep this updated for you all...so keep an eye out on weekends and such. Comment with any suggestions/feedback!**

**X,**

**DKMV**


	4. Chapter 4

Stag and Doe: The Journey

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you. -Roger Ebert_

* * *

I felt my feet being forcefully lifted off of the ground as I careened backwards. My eyes squeezed shut as I braced for the impact, but my back met a soft mat against the wall. I stumbled to regain my balance, but the room did not stop spinning as I struggled out of my disorientated state.

I had lost my wand in the spell, but I spotted it a few meters away from me and scrambled to retrieve it.

Alastor Moody hobbled into my vision line with surprising speed. Before I could repossess my wand, Alistor flicked his wrist in my direction and my wand flew to him. He pointed both wands at me.

"Lily," he said, shaking his shaggy brown hair. "There isn't one Death Eater on this damn planet that would give you the privilege of reclaiming your wand once it's out of your hand. You can't ever let it leave your grasp."

Moody came over to me and positioned me facing a foam dummy on the mat, "You need to angle yourself like this against your opponent. See this peripheral vision? You'll always be able to guess the next move. Repeat that. It's all. about. angles."

I internally rolled my eyes as I imagined how that would work out in battle: Sorry, could you pause for a second? And let me get my protractor?

Nevertheless, I nodded and stepped off the mat with the words 'Order Training Academy' stamped on it.

He continued, "Now, this is your first day, so I'll let that rookie mistake slide." He scoffed obscurely. "But Evans? Try to minimize your distractions when you're in battle."

Temperature increased in my cheeks as I caught on to what he was insinuating; looking back, I realized that I MIGHT have been staring in the vague direction of James in his tight Order shirt seconds before Moody had caught me off guard.

"That spell was really advanced, Moody!" I protested. "I was not distracted!"

He gave a grunt, the corner of his mouth upturned. Moody had many interests but his favorite subject was making his students look like fools. However, the shadow of the smile was instantly suppressed and he went back to looking irritated as usual.

* * *

At the end of my first training session for The Order of the Phoenix, I was about ready to tape my eyelids up to keep them from threatening to droop. Exhaustion was an understatement. I had been carried, prodded, and hexed. Probably the most damaged was my self esteem, though, as I reflected the _tsks_ of Moody as I took a generous amount of breaks.

Just as I was about to leave, the Overseer of Order Proceedings Marcus Dunloe dumped a stack of books into my arms, along with an extensive list of specific chapters I had to memorize before the next session. My weary brain protested. Merlin, what exactly did I sign up for? I did not remember agreeing to a second education.

My ears perked as a faint footstep echoed suddenly behind me. It had been subtle, but I sensed a presence approaching me so I drew my wand and whipped around just as James popped out around the corner. He was clearly just about to try to sneak up and surprise me.

"Dang it, Lily!" he mused, "how'd you know I was there?"

I grinned, satisfied that I had foiled his joke. "I guess six hours with Moody elicits a sixth sense or something," I responded, shaking my head slightly. Perhaps his peripheral vision technique wasn't as rubbish as I had given him credit for.

James had the nerve to hum a tune as we walked out of the building, and his eyes were bright. I guess he registered my glaring at him, because he looked down. "What?"

"How are you so...INVIGORATED?" I sputtered out, annoyed that he was not on the verge of collapsing like I was.

He shrugged. "Moody says that that was just the start of it. You have to look alive to be alive." He took a swig of water.

I groaned. "That was just the _start_ of it? I still have my Potions essay to do and all this information they gave us to read, and on top of that, I'm in desperate need of a bubble bath."

"That can be arranged," he said, smirking, and I was forced to recall the time when he nearly caught me undressed in the Head Students' bathroom.

I smacked him in his arm and cursed myself at my lack of a speech filter. Did I seriously just admit my bathing preferences to James Potter?

He looked at me with hopeful eyes. "But you're still coming with Sirius and me to the Witch of the Century tonight, right?"

I rolled my eyes. Miss Witch of the Century was a pageant that the rich seventh year girls at Hogwarts hosted every year. Let's just say...no measurable amount of intelligence was required to be considered for this 'prestigious honor'.

"Oh, how could I possibly miss it?" I responded dramatically. Sirius would sever one of his fingers in order to ogle those girls for a solid two hours.

He grinned. "Great. I needed someone to keep Sirius out of the vicinity of the girls' dressing room."

I cringed as I remembered last year's incident; it involved the disappearance of our dear friend and a suspicious self-moving clothes cart heading towards the half-naked girls backstage.

He continued. "I'm actually quite surprised in your willingness to watch."

I shrugged. "It's my last year at Hogwarts. I guess now's the time to do everything I wished I had done my first six years."

"Oh really? You regret staying up cramming until two in the morning so 'James Potter can kiss his nonexistent chances of being first in the class goodbye'?"

I blushed. "Actually, no. That I have no remorse whatsoever for."

"Well, I'm glad you can make it. It's actually quite entertaining to see the Pureblood pageant girls attempt to answer muggle peace questions coherently."

The thought was tempting. "Maybe you could even participate in the event," James said cheekily, pushing the my hair off my collarbone and behind my shoulder.

I stuck my tongue out at him, but he grabbed my hand so we could apparate to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds. No one, except Dumbledore, could actually apparate within the school. I felt the tugging feeling at my stomach as the wind was knocked out of me, and when I reopened my eyes, I was at the gate of the school.

We strolled inside and walked up the ancient stone steps to the familiar Gryffindor common room.

Before I could go up to the girls' dormitory, James stopped and faced me. His mouth was scrunched to the side, and he looked like he was contemplating telling me something.

"What is it?" My voice frustratingly clipped at the end as I succumbed to my curiosity. He leaned in, about to whisper, but at the last second withdrew. "See you," he said quietly, and turned around. His head was shaking as he headed back downstairs.

I stood stunned at the entrance to my bedroom for a little while, not entirely sure what to make of this exchange. Hell, the entire dynamic surrounding him was an impenetrable fog. We haven't called each other 'Potter' or 'Evans' in a while, although the term was sure to come up sparsely now and then. I was trying to convince myself that James and I would not work out in any way, shape or form. We were just too different from each other. Our paths would never cross after Hogwarts. But every time I assured myself that it was only an impulsive mess of seventeen-year-old angst, he would go and do something or say something that made me rethink any perceptions that I had about him.

I snapped out of myself out of my disillusionment and hurriedly stepped into my bedroom, clicking my door shut.

I showered thoroughly and cleansed off all the 'constructive' insults that were tossed my way that day. Feeling renewed as I breathed in my hair's lavender scent, I resolved to tackle one problem at a time, starting small with the decision of what I would wear to the event.

After considering my wardrobe for a while, I struggled into a black dress. First off, I felt that it reflected my mood that night - I was not sure whether it was from anxiety, that grueling Order training, or the fact that a certain time of the month had rendered my stomach so cramped that I was unable to digest, but I did not have the energy to pull of any color other than the rich pigment of darkness.

I ran my hands over my dress as I smoothed it out. It was my only sophisticated article of clothing. My wizard friends could not confirm this, but to me the cut around the torso reminded me of Jackie Kennedy. It was sleeveless but body fitting until the skirt part flared out slightly, coming down to my knee.

My hair was entirely another issue. I began to panic as I glanced at the clock at the other end of my room. Unfortunately, there was no specific spell to make my hair presentable. My problem would have to be solved by muggle means, I reasoned, and a brilliant idea emerged inside my head. I lifted my suitcase out of the top shelf of my closet and dug around to the very depths of it. I emerged with my muggle curling iron, ignoring the smug voice of Petunia in my head telling me that I would have a use for it someday.

I set the iron down temporarily after burning myself with it for the forth time. I did not want to add my ears to my list of red body parts. I finally decided to twist my hair up into a bun, with a few strands hanging out. Those strands even I could curl, and I did not put away the wand until I was satisfied with my appearance in the mirror.

I slipped on a pair of flats and hopped down the steps leading to the common room two at a time.

I walked into the main Gryffindor room. There I found Sirius and James, who were playing a game of Wizards chess in the plush crimson couches next to the fire.

James saw me and stood up really quickly. "Lily!" he greeted, trying extremely hard to avert his gaze from me in my dress. He kept his eyes tactfully trained on my face.

Sirius withdrew his attention from the chest board as well as he looked up at me. A corner of his mouth lifted up.

"Oy, Lily! I would tell you how great you look, but that's James' job!" He wiggled his eyebrows and turned back to the chess board.

James rolled his eyes and pulled another chair out around the game board so we could all sit around it before the pageant began.

Sirius had his hands working at his hair, and his arms were leaning on both of his knees as he examined the chess game deeply. Finally, with ostentatious facial expressions, he attempted to gesture to me secretively as to what his next move should be. However, Sirius was not the most clandestine of boys, and James caught on really quickly.

"Oh, come on, Sirius. Appealing to Lily because you can't make your move?"

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of help in times of distress!"

"Lily, you're not buying this, are you?"

Without breaking eye contact with James, I confidently directed one of Sirius' knights along the board.

Sirius barked a laugh jubilantly. "Ha! Check and MATE, Jamesie!" There was more to his harangue, including his desire for James to kiss his rear end, but it was cut short when we realized that the pageant was set to start in twenty minutes.

We raced to the Great Hall, where it had been temporarily converted into a theater, and sat down near the center of the seats. Only a portion of the school chose to attend, since this was privately set up by the upper class witches, and the audience was predominantly drooling males. Nevertheless, I clamped my jaw and forced myself to be social; my primary schooling was much to short to not experience various populations. Some people just had money to burn.

The lights (or should I say ceiling) dimmed to reveal a twilight sky as the pageant girls strutted onstage. After everyone clapped politely, each girl individually came to the center, introduced herself, and began her act for the talent portion of the competition. It was all the same thing, really, and I got bored after the fifth show of colorful lights spewing from their wands in swirly patterns.

The question and answer portion was largely more entertaining, and when Marcy Bracey stepped up to the podium, I leaned forward a little in my seat.

Professor Solum, the teacher presiding over the event, aimed his wand at her and muttered a quick Sonorus charm, which was the wizard equivalent to a microphone. Professor Solum had neon hair that changed colors depending on what angle you viewed him at. "Now, Miss Bracey," Professor Solum asked, "if you could wish for one thing, anything, in the world, what would that be?"

Marcy's plastic smile shivered for a microsecond, and I could practically hear her bite back her true wish of an emerald necklace from Flora's Boutique.

She looked at the audience and then off into the distance. "Wizard peace," she said finally, turning up her smile to maximum power. The audience cheered, and the boys whistled.

Give me a break. I guess there are some unfortunate similarities that I couldn't escape from no matter what world I was in.

The after party was my personal favorite, as I eyed the mounds of rich food that was piled high on elegant tables. Unluckily for me, every pageant participant had changed into a black dress similar to the one I was donning. The affluent were eyeing me suspiciously, like, "Why is she gorging on the snacks rather than handing out raffle tickets?" "Aren't the contestants supposed to be..um..pretty?"

Purebloods can be very unsubtle. Let's not talk about it.

I passed the time by reading about the history of Witch of the Century when something caught the corner of my eye. Looking up from my pamphlet, I caught a cupcake that was levitating at eye level about a foot away from me. I spun around, attempting to locate the source of this dessert offering.

My scrutiny of the room finally ended when I landed on James, whose eyes immediately averted mine in an unsuccessful attempt to look nonchalant. He slipped his wand back into his pocket, and the cupcake dropped delicately into my palms.

* * *

**A/N: Hello my patient readers! Since the best decision my school has made is the five-day weekend I'm enjoying right now, I finished editing another chapter! I really wanted to build on James' and Lily's interactions a bit before we encounter some adversity (possibly!) in the next installment. Also, I need you all to vote on a favorite holiday that I could use in the upcoming section. What did you lovelies think of Chapter 4?**

**X, **

**DKMV**


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